1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for noodle rolling. More particularly, the present invention pertains to vertical type noodle rolling apparatus and methods wherein the noodle strip is progressively rolled as it is moved downwardly.
2. Prior Art
The prior art noodle rolling apparatus comprises a plurality of horizontally arranged roller sets each having roller pairs facing each other. Therefore, in leading the so-called "noodle strip" , which is formed by feeding the noodle material from the first roller set to the next roller set, it was necessary, heretofore, to either carefully transport the tip of the noodle strip to the roller gap in the next roller set, by gripping or holding it, or using a special transferring means, such as belt conveyors.
However, where the tip of the noodle strip is manually transferred to the roller gap of the individual roller sets, the hands of the operator are liable to become entangled in the roller gap. Furthermore, the use of transferring means results in a higher cost and a larger space requirement, thus leading to a considerable increase in the cost of the product. However, since the noodle strip is soft as it is rolled, a method is required for transferring and supporting it between adjacent roller sets. Yet, quite often the noodle strip emerging from a roller set is folded as it enters the roller gap of the next roller set, thus, preventing uniform rolling. This tendency is most pronounced when the thickness of the noodle strip is reduced with progressive rolling. This not only results in unsatisfactory rolling but also results, in extreme cases, in the breakage of the noodle strip during rolling, thus, adversely affecting continuous production.
The present invention seeks to solve the aforementioned problems.